9 Books Like Front Desk (Books to Read If You Loved Front Desk)

YOU ARE READING: 9 Books Like Front Desk (Books to Read If You Loved Front Desk) AT PhebinhvanhocEN

So you read Kelly Yang’s book and loved it — now you’re on the hunt for books like Front Desk? Welcome!

Recommending readalikes can be a complicated process, but as I said in the first post of this series, I enjoy the process of finding similar threads even in books that seem different on the surface. Today’s pick is Kelly Yang’s Front Desk, a best-selling book about a Chinese immigrant girl who often works the front desk at the motel where her parents work. Mia also has a passion for writing and accomplishes several seemingly impossible goals throughout the story.

You are reading: Books like front desk

front desk is the first in a series of three books. the next two books are three keys and room to dream, which are definitely books to read if you loved the reception.

Front Desk | Three Keys | Room to Dream

Here’s my readalike criterion: Each book I recommend must have at least three strong similarities with the beloved title. For this post, I’ve included books featuring strong female (and one male) protagonists immigrating from a foreign country, with a creative passion, and finding new friends and a sense of belonging, while advocating for an issue close to their hearts.

9 books as reception

here are 9 books as a front desk:

making the cut

Published: October 27, 2020

Twelve-year-old cici just moved from taiwan to seattle, and the only thing she wants more than to fit in at her new school is to celebrate her grandmother’s 70th birthday together, m-ma.

Since she can’t go to m-ma, cici devises a plan to take m-ma by winning the grand prize in a kids’ cooking contest to pay for m-ma’s plane ticket. There’s just one problem: Cici only knows how to cook Taiwanese food.

and after her debacle with pickled cucumbers at lunch, she’s determined to channel her inner girl julia. Can cici find a winning recipe for reuniting with a-má, a way to fit in with her new friends and somehow find herself too?

it’s not that horrible, falafel

Published: May 3, 2016

zomorod (cindy) yousefzadeh is the new kid on the block. . . for the fourth time. California’s Newport Beach is the last perch in his family, and she’s determined to shed his smart, reclusive personality and start over with a new name for the Brady group: Cindy. We are in the late 1970s, and fitting in becomes harder as Iran makes headlines with protests, revolution, and eventually the taking of American hostages. Even mood rings and puka shell necklaces can’t distract Cindy from anti-Iran feelings coming too close to home. a poignant yet light-hearted middle-grade debut from the author of the best-selling Farsi-language comic.

another word for home

Published: May 28, 2019

jude never thought she would leave her beloved older brother and father behind, across the ocean in syria. But when things in his hometown start to get volatile, Jude and his mom are sent to live in Cincinnati with relatives.

At first, everything in the US seems too fast and too noisy. The American movies Jude has always loved haven’t quite prepared her to start school in the United States, and her new “Middle Eastern” label, an identity she’s never known before.

But this life also brings unexpected surprises: there are new friends, a whole new family, and a school musical Jude could be in. maybe America is also a place where jude can be seen for who he really is.

unstable

Published: May 11, 2021

When her family moves from Pakistan to the town of Peachtree, all Nurah wants is to be a low profile, but she sticks out for all the wrong reasons. Nurah’s accent, floral-print kurtas, and tea-colored fur make her feel left out, until she meets Stahr at swim trials.

and in the water, nurah doesn’t want to mix. he wants to win medals like his brother his star athlete, owais, who is going through his own struggles in the united states. however, when sibling rivalry gets in the way, she makes a split-second decision of betrayal that changes her fate.

Finally, nurah gradually gains confidence in the form of strong arms and swimmers, and also gains the courage to stand up to bullies, stand up for what she believes in, and find her place.

lety out loud

Published: February 26, 2019

Can Lety find her voice before it’s too late? Lety Muñoz’s first language is Spanish and she likes to take her time putting words together. She loves volunteering at the Furry Friends Animal Shelter because the cats and dogs don’t care if she can’t always find the right word. When the shelter needs a volunteer to write animal profiles, Lety jumps at the chance.

but the grumpy classmate hunter also wants to write profiles, so now they have to work as a team. however, hunter is not a great team player. he invents a secret contest to decide who will be the official scribe of the shelter. Whoever helps their animals get adopted wins the fastest. the loser gets the dog food. Then he can never adopt Spike, his favorite dog at the shelter! a kirkus review for best book of 2019 a new york public library best book of 2019 a book of the 2020 pura belpré honor award

Indian no more

Published: December 10, 2019

regina petit’s family has always been umpqua, and living on the grand ronde reservation is all ten-year-old regina has ever known. her biggest concern is that sasquatch might exist in the forest. But when the federal government signs a bill saying Regina’s tribe is no more, Regina becomes “Indian no more” overnight, despite being given a number by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. that counted her as an Indian, even though she lives with her tribe and practices tribal customs, and even though her ancestors were Indians for countless generations.

With no good jobs available in Oregon, Regina’s father enrolls the family in the Indian Relocation Program and relocates them to Los Angeles. regina finds a whole new world in her neighborhood at rank 58. she has never met children of other races, and they have never met a real indian. For the first time in her life, Regina comes face to face with the cruelty of racism, personally and towards her new friends.

Meanwhile, his father believes that if he works hard, his family will be treated like white Americans. But it’s not so easy. It is 1957 during the civil rights era. the family struggles without their tribal community and their land. At least Regina has her grandmother, Chich, and her stories. at least they’re all together.

In this heartwarming middle grade novel based on Umpqua author Charlene Willing McManis’s own tribal history, Regina must find out: who is Regina Petit? is she indian? she is American? Will she and her family ever be okay?

cake in the sky

Published: May 14, 2019

When jingwen moves to a new country, she feels like she’s landed on mars. school is torture, making friends is impossible because he doesn’t speak English, and he often gets stuck taking care of his (extremely annoying) little brother yanghao.

To distract herself from loneliness, Jingwen daydreams about making all the cakes on the menu for Pie in the Sky, the bakery her father had planned to open before he unexpectedly passed away. the only problem is that his mother has established an important rule: brothers should not use the oven while she is at work. As jingwen and yanghao bake elaborate cakes, they’ll have to come up with elaborate excuses to keep the cake a secret from mom.

the omani tortoise

Published: August 26, 2014

This exquisite and accessible novel shines with gentle humor and explores themes such as moving, family, nature, and immigration. tells the story of aref al-amri, who must say goodbye to everything and everyone he loves in his hometown of muscat, oman, as his family prepares to move to ann arbor, michigan. This is acclaimed poet and National Book Award finalist Naomi Shihab Nye’s first novel set in the Middle East since her acclaimed Habibi.

aref al-amri doesn’t want to leave oman. he doesn’t want to leave his elementary school, his friends or his beloved grandfather, siddi. he doesn’t want to live in ann arbor, michigan, where his parents will go to grad school. his mother is desperate for him to pack, but he refuses. finally he calls siddi for help. But instead of packing, Aref and Siddi go on a series of adventures. They visit the camp of a thousand stars deep in the desert, sleep on the roof of Siddi, fish in the Gulf of Oman and dream of going to India, and travel to the nature reserve to watch sea turtles. At each stop, Siddi finds a small stone that he then puts in Aref’s suitcase: souvenirs from his home.

Naomi Shihab Nye’s warmth, attention to detail, and belief in the power of empathy and connection shines through on every page. Features black and white art and decorations by Betsy Peterschmidt.

recover

Published: October 19, 2021

lilico’s life in japan is going well. she has great friends and is the captain of the school basketball team. she is happy!

Then comes the news of his parents: they are moving to the United States! Before she knows it, Lilico finds herself in Brooklyn, New York, forced to start over. And that won’t be easy with her closest friends thousands of miles away or a school bully who immediately takes a dislike to her.

Luckily, anime-loving Nala and Henry eventually befriend Lilico, and with their help, along with her guardian spirit, who looks a lot like her cat, Nico, Lilico might find out where she fits in.

Which of these books have you read and enjoyed? I’m really looking forward to reading the third book in the reception series!

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